A change at the top of Summit Carbon Solutions may lead to a revised right-of-way proposal for the carbon dioxide pipeline the company hopes to build across Greene County.
County zoning officer Chuck Wenthold and county attorney Thomas Laehn reported to the county supervisors at their Aug. 18 meeting receiving a letter from Joe Griffin, new chief executive officer at Summit. The proposal will “reflect Summit Carbon’s commitment to offering terms that will better support landowners and their long-term interests,” Laehn reported.
See the minutes of the meeting posted under the Agenda tab on GCNO for a quote from the letter that was not shared at the meeting but was apparently submitted to auditor Billie Jo Hoskins for the minutes.
Drainage clerk Michelle Fields reported a landowner near the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way near Scranton having an issue with trees growing over the drainage tile there. Fields reported the issue of roots growing into the tile elsewhere along the right-of-way has been taken care of, but Union-Pacific has not yet paid the invoice. She said she is uncertain of how to proceed until the contractor has been paid for the first repair.
Fields then gave her verbal resignation from her job as GIS/IT director for the county. She suggested the ISAC Pay-IT-Forward tech team could assist the county in finding ways to meet the county’s technology needs.
Her departure follows a new requirement that she and two other courthouse employees not under the direct supervision of a department head keep logs of how they spend their time each day. The requirement had created tension between the supervisors and Fields.
Fields is the county’s first IT specialist, leaving employment with the State of Iowa as an IT specialist 17 years ago. The county needed a part-time drainage clerk at the time, and that position was combined with an IT position for fulltime work.
Her last day will be Sept. 4. Laehn suggested contracting with a company until someone can be hired, mentioning how vital the computer system is to court services.
Supervisor Dan Benitz reported jail construction is on schedule and that the contractor has suggested an upgrade of the floor sealant. The alternate sealant would last longer than what is now in the plans. The cost would add $12,000 to the total cost.
